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Forum:Ideas for a Metroid screenplay
Let's imagine that tomorrow Hollywood will make a Metroid movie. We all know this is REAL science-fiction, but let's assume it's true. Question is: how would you create the screenplay? The main problems are: 1) Dealing with audience which potentially knows nothing about the series. 2) Deliverying a great story in less than two hours. 3) Balance action and dialogue 4) Create something good both for game fanatics and casual watchers 5) Making a movie better than the two Tomb Raiders (actually you could do this even with a camcorder) Basically these are the reasons of why they will NEVER make a Metroid movie, but... ok, you are hired as the screenwriter. Let's start writing! Ksabers 16:44, 28 October 2008 (UTC) :*6) having to use a computer generated Varia Suit, for her Suit is highly disproportionate to the human frame and would look very bulky and out of shape on a real actress. [[User:Squeemaster|'Squee'master]] 19:51, 28 October 2008 (UTC) It All Depends Is the story supposed to fit into the main canon of the series or is it just an interpretation of the games on the "Big Screen"?Zabbeth 17:01, 28 October 2008 (UTC) Zabby brings up a good point. Metroidhunter32 20:24, 28 October 2008 (UTC) I think it should be both things: a canon story (either a revisitation of an existing adventure, or a new one) AND a story which could be enjoyed in an indipendent way. - Ksabers 08:33, 29 October 2008 (UTC) It doesn't have to be a movie... with all this story it can be compressed into a T.V show (Metroid101) I agree. Metroid is just the sort of thing you'd love for a TV serial. My Idea Well not actually my idea, it's pretty much the story from the manga followed by the story from the first game. There's alot of content there so I see a 2:30 movie with a 3:00 Director's Cut. I would go the Batman Begins route and obviously start by telling the backstory. You introduce Samus and about 5 minutes later, KABOOM! Ridley comes with a group of Space Pirates and everybody dies. Then you see her growing up with the Chozo and getting infused with their blood and given the Power Suit. Then it's time for a montage, you know, going through the the GF training to become a GF Trooper. But then she leaves to become a Bounty Hunter. Then we cut to the Space Pirates finding the Metroids during a raid and going to Zebes to experiment with them. The Federation contacts and contracts her to hunt them down. You probably know the story from there on in. But a few problems. The Chozo, Space Pirates, Ridley, Spaceships, and everybody who's not human will have to be CG. So do you think the whole movie should be CG?Zabbeth 13:52, 29 October 2008 (UTC) :At that point they might as well just make it an cartoon movie. Keep some real actors. Metroidhunter32 15:15, 1 January 2009 (UTC) ::I'm sure a lot of the alien characters could be people wearing costumes/prosthetics. Those things are pretty advanced nowadays, and they likely wouldn't be noticed at all on background characters. They could also use motion-capture/rotoscoping, like Gollum in the LoTR movies. ...[[User:TwistedNerve|''TwistedNerve]]... 21:56, 17 January 2009 (UTC) :: ::I reckon like Zabbeth said it should be Samus' background, only half an hour ought to be her on K 2-L growing up with Chozo, and then ten minutes later Ridley attacks with the Pirates and Ridley kills Samus' parents. Ridley steals the Alpha Metroid and then flies off leaving the planet a deserted wreck (apart from Samus). 28 Days Later style with Samus walking through deserted K 2-L just before the Chozo rescue her and take her off the planet just before the Pirates zap it to oblivion. Pirates are seen being commanded by a mysterious guy who is the one who ordered the K 2-L attack. Samus grows up with the Chozo on Zebes and vows revenge on the Pirates and learns of Ridley's infamy. She turns 18 and decides to go on a killing spree and kill Ridley before retrieving the Alpha Metroid. Eventually she is infused with Chozo DNA and given a Power Suit before being told that the Chozo always saw her in prohecy as the Hunter and the Enlightened One. 3 years pass and when Samus is 21 she goes off and invades the Pirates' base just when they invade planet Zebes to claim it for their own. Amongst all the action Samus sneaks into their ship and makes her way to the Reactor Core where she meets Ridley who tells her he has been "looking forward to this" and that he is not the leader of the Pirates - their true commander is High Command, whoever he is. Ridley fights Samus but Samus kicks Ridley off a ledge into a boiling flaming energy sphere which disintegrates him. Samus then sets off a Destructor Countdown and she evacuates the gigantic ship but on her way she meets numerous vengeful Plasma Troopers, and eventually at the docking hangar she meets the Alpha Metroid, which she now sees is fully evil and therefore no hope of returning it safely home to Zebes. She fights the Metroid and kills it with the Plasma Beam and then flees the ship as it explodes and is examined in the distance by the mysterious High Command guy. The Chozo reward her with the Grapple Beam upgrade which will be useful on many more missions. Elsewhere on Zebes, the Space Pirates receive a meeting with a resurrected Ridley. Space Pirate battle theme from Metroid Prime plays. End credits. ::DarkXSamus 21:25, January 17, 2011 (UTC) :: Alternative Idea My personal vision for a metroid movie involves the first game, however, instead of telling it in a linear fashion (K 2-L, Chozo, Federation, Zebes), it would be told in a non-linear, intertwining, flashback driven movie. Think Lost. The movie would begin with samus a breif shot of samus getting orders from the federation in the ship. Then it would immediately cut to her going down the elevator into Brinstar, and during the opening credits it would show flashes into her past at K 2-L. Not a lot of dialogue here, K 2-L would be breif. Show her arriving in brinstar in the classic Metroid way, and then have her fight a bunch of creatures immediately. Flashing through the intense fighting, you'd show the space pirate invasion of K 2-L, allowing samus's intensity and anger to hint at themes of revenge. The story from there would focus on larger flashbacks showing her being raised by the chozo, with long flashbacks triggered by samus finding various things on Zebes (the shrines, items, her old home) that are spliced up between scenes of awesome action and fighting. More time would actually be focused on these flashbacks, which would hold the majority of the movie's dialogue and thematic progression, however the action scenes allow for the audience to be constantly wowed at the marvels of Zebes and the fighting prowess of samus, ensuring that no one would be bored by a huge info dump of backstory at any one time. The themes would be relatively simple, nothing we haven't seen before. Themes of Samus desperately wanting revenge for the destruction of her homeworld, clashing against the wish of the Chozo for her to repress those hateful thoughts. There'd also be themes of samus often feeling like another piece of chozo weaponry, which would work well when introducing Mother Brain as another piece of Chozo technology (like in the manga). Both were developed by the Chozo's massive intellect in order to protect the galaxy, but Mother Brain is a heartless machine where as Samus has the ability to feel empathy for others. Could be representative of a rift between the Chozo as well (technology vs. human spirit) Samus breifly forgets the chozo's teachings at the beginning of the movie, acting mainly out of malice and hatred, but through the course of the movie learns her greater role in the galaxy, and what separates her from Mother Brain. She changes as she learns about the downfall of the chozo, and feels great guilt in that her previously selfish ways kept her from being there to stop Zebes from being invaded. I believe that going this route ensures Metroid style action from the very start, which pleases not only fans, but should be a sigh of relief for non-fans who would be worried about having to sit through a ton of info dump right away. The mysterious nature of this style allows for non-fans to get engaged in the story, and learn about samus' past alongside longtime fans. It's also a striking and slightly rare style (although proven to work) which allows the movie to stand out. As a metroid fan, I'd love it if metroid could abstain from going the generic route. I also think this allows a director to immiediately lay down the correct themes of claustrophobia and seclusion, while still allowing the backstory to be told. It just fits better, thematically, in my opinion. Main Actress The Batman Begins approach seems great to me! Telling the story from the beginning would be perfect. I don't think ''everything should be CG. I'd prefer real actors, and real actresses: A 3yo for baby Samus, Dakota Fanning for teen Samus (if we have enough screen time to show her Chozo training), and Cameron Richardson for adult Samus. Just give her blue contacts, and she's perfect for the role! - Ksabers 14:07, 29 October 2008 (UTC) I've always considered CAMERON DIAZ for Samus, namely cos she's sexy, she can play good emotional characters, she can often be dramatic, and yet sometimes, as seen in Charlie's Angels, she can be as touch as doornails. For Ridley's voice - Ken Page, you know, Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas. Ken ROCKS, and I'm not just stereotyping him cos he's already played a villain. I just think he's got such a cool voice. He'd be able to portray an evil immortal dragon pretty well. High Command - in my storyline his face is only seen as a silhoutte, cos, like, his identity's a spoiler; but I reckon Willem Defoe should do the voice. Chozo - Perhaps Terence Stamp, from The Haunted Mansion, for Gray Voice, and maybe Bernard Cribbins, (Wilfred Mott in Doctor Who) for Old Bird. That's it folks. DarkXSamus 21:45, January 17, 2011 (UTC) :I think Anna Torv, most recently known as Agent Olivia Dunham in Fringe, is an exact fit for the part of Samus. ...[[User:TwistedNerve|''TwistedNerve]]... 07:16, 11 February 2009 (UTC) If you ask me we shouldn't see samus's face at all during the movie. Put it after the credits for people who are willing to wait. 'Metroidhunter32' 15:54, 11 February 2009 (UTC) :Great idea if the movie would be watched only by Metroid fans, but IMHO unfeasible for a general audience... Ksabers 16:12, 11 February 2009 (UTC) True. But remember, we'd need actresses for all three phases of Samus's life. SeltheWolf : I don't think Anna Torv is a good fit... She needs to be a teen or Young Adult... Samus is 19 during Zero Mission... Anna Torv or Uma Thurman will make a good Virginia and Sigourney Weaver will make a good easter egg to voice Mother Brain (Metroid101 03:15, January 9, 2010 (UTC)) How about that lady who plays Ripley from Aliens...bit old, but, hey, could be a flash forward.lol. Or maybe even...Angelina Jolie! ROFL--[[User:DekutullaZM|Deku]][[User talk:DekutullaZM|tulla]] 23:28, January 15, 2010 (UTC) You mean Sigourney Weaver... I think she is better off as a Mother Brain Voice...(Metroid101 23:38, January 18, 2010 (UTC)) A Different Take The aforementioned idea isn't a bad one. I've been thinking about this for a while, though, and I have a bit of a different vision. Movie theater audiences can be bored to tears from excessive explanations. Especially at the beginning of a movie. Let's look at Star Wars or Raiders of the Lost Ark, and start out a good sci-fi action movie with some sci-fi action. Starting it off with the massacre at K-2L, then jumping through Samus' life until her mission might be a tad confusing for people who don't know the Metroid story in the first place. Sure, it helps them bond with her, but there are plenty of more ways to know and love our armored heroine. So, here's my take. Start off the movie with the Space Pirates, closing in on a GFed research facility in the Oromine System. The commanding officer on the station will send a transmission to the nearest GFed command center. Before they get much of a reply, the pirates jam their signal. What they would have had for a reply was that there happend to be a GFed battleship in the same system, on the patrol for pirates. The battleship's captain, Brian Malkovich (brother of the late great General Adam Malkovich) gives the orders to set a course for the station. However, things do not go very well from there. The Space Pirate group consisted of four unmanned indestructible freighters controlled by a computer on their larger ship. The pirates defend themselves from federation attack by placing the freighters between them and the battleship. Captain Malkovich is forced to send for backup. Of course, backup couldn't come soon enough. The pirates stormed the station, took the Metroids, took a few hostages, and blew the station up. Captain Malkovich then decided to follow the pirates, to find out why they could mount such a raid underneath GFed noses. He found out that they were stationed on Zebes, a planet deserted by its Chozo inhabitants half a decacyle ago. That's a start. I certainly do have more ideas for the rest of the script... including tying it in with a sequel (Metroid Prime, most likely). And set up what would be a very epic plot twist if there's ever a Metroid Fusion movie (I think I probably gave it away right there). Finally, instead of having screen time devoted to her training as well as the K-2L massacre, why not have some emotional flashbacks? Maybe Samus finds the place where she first stepped foot on Zebes, when she was little. Or maybe she finds her old training grounds. That way, we can see how emotinally connected she is to Zebes and the Chozo who used to live there. Oh, and really finally, I don't care whether it's in CGI or not. As long as somehow the awesome locales of the Metroid series continue to look awesome. User:Epicish : I believe I made a similar page to this... but I will do a Youtube Project like this ... I think they should have her Brother and then a Plot Twist of him being Sylux (Metroid101 03:15, January 9, 2010 (UTC)) Cast So far my choices I will make a Full version to Epicish's version to the screenplay but with a few tweaks by me... (my dream is to one day make a golden globe winning screenplay)... I say one day I will... (Metroid101 04:06, January 10, 2010 (UTC)) Kat Dennings- Samus, She has the body... She can be notable for this role... and She has the acting capacity... But they need to dye he hair Dakota Fanning- Samus, She has the hair, acting and she is also a cheerleader which means she has enough pros to become the character Matthew Fox- Adam, He has the look... He has the acting skill to be powerful Kevin Durand- Ridley, After watching him in Lost... He has the voice that can give you chills Morgan Freeman- Old Bird, He just has that voice that can soothe you Uma Thurman or Anna Torv- Virginia Aran, They both can play powerful women and have the looks Sigourney Weaver- Mother Brain... She was Ellen Ripley... Its a good easter egg because Aliens basically gave birth to Metroid, also she was the computer in Wall-E Shawn Johnson or Selena Gomez- Gandrayda, Shawn has got the moves... but no acting... Selena has the acting but no moves Proposals, Propositions, and Possibilities One area we may not be considering would be a film set in the Metroid universe heresy that does not focus on Samus Aran but rather "follows" another character such as Adam, Virginia Aran, Anthony Higgs, or even someone created specifically for the film./heresy Hear me out: that way the film could go in the direction of good cinematography without dealing with those elements of Metroid canon and backstory that do not translate well into the format, AND without altering those elements via retconning or flat-out removal. If that is too drastic for you, consider using material set ''after Fusion, potentially dealing with the corruption within the Federation or some other entirely new threat. And consider that a skilled, professional screenwriter should be able to write on two levels, creating a story that stands on its own without excessive background knowledge but at the same time gains another level of meaning when viewed in the context of the games and manga- for instance (in a relatively crude example), if Samus meets Anthony on a mission and says dialog to the effect of "it's good to work with you again", that can be understood in a vacuum and in the context of Other M. Lastly, although I do not usually pay attention to actors, consider as Samus Aran the woman who portrayed the Model Sixes in Battlestar Galactica: she toughened up nicely in late season two in her role as the "Gina" copy.--AdmiralSakai 00:50, January 18, 2011 (UTC)